KARACHI: National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf has said that no decision has been taken yet to grant amnesty to members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), emphasising that the state is “very clear and sensitive” on the issue.

He made the comment in an interview on DawnNews programme ‘Live with Adil Shahzeb’ on Wednesday.

At the outset, NSA Yusuf talked about the government’s decision to hold talks with the TTP, saying the militant group had been receiving support from Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies for the last 10-15 years.

Pakistan repeatedly told the international community that the Pakistani Taliban had fled to Afghanistan following the Zarb-i-Azb military operation, received sanctuary and were launching attacks from the neighbouring country, the NSA said.

Moeed says state’s job is to defend its public and not to use bullets until it becomes impossible to avoid it

“We gave a whole dossier last year containing [details of] which attack, from where, how much money was spent, pictures of receipts, everything,” he said, referring to the report revealed by the government in November 2020 containing proofs of India’s involvement in terrorism in Pakistan.

“When the situation changed [after the Taliban’s takeover] ... the Afghan Taliban are not as antagonistic towards Pakistan as former president Ashraf Ghani. Now the discussion started that the TTP does not have the support base that they [Ghani’s government] and India provided.

“You talk from a position of strength and try to reason. If any Pakistani has strayed from the path and if he [wants to become] a law-abiding citizen according to the laws of Pakistan and the Constitution [...] It means if you have committed a crime or terrorism in Pakistan, you will follow the due process of the law,” he said.

When the host asked him whether he was referring to an amnesty, the NSA responded by saying that no such decision had been taken yet.

“I don’t know where this talk started from — that a decision has been made. There is no such decision [of a general amnesty].”

Mr Yusuf said the government was aware that agreements with the TTP in the past had not held, adding that at the present stage talks were being held and the government would see if the TTP was serious.

“The state’s job is to defend its public and not to go with the kinetic option — using bullets — until it becomes impossible to avoid it,” he stressed.

“This is an emotional issue. No Pakistani is left who has not been directly or indirectly affected by terrorism.”

In response to question about the opposition lawmakers not being satisfied with the security briefing given last week, Mr Yusuf said: “It is their choice. The state can only inform [them]. This is a decision of the entire nation. These processes [of talks] will continue.”

Talking about the need to hold talks with the TTP, the NSA said world history, data and statistics showed that an overwhelming majority of conflicts ended with dialogue.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2021